Comments

NBA Picks

NBA Picks of the Day: Win Big With Friday's Winning Selections

We split a pair of NBA picks last night and barely missed cashing a perfect evening. While most bettors will be preoccupied with March Madness and the Sweet 16 tonight, there are still some valuable NBA odds tonight, and I have found two to make by best bets for Friday night.

Raptors vs. Rockets
One of the more intriguing inter-conference games on the slate tonight is the Raptors and Rockets from Houston. Both teams are fighting for playoff positioning, with the Raptors vying for the number one seed in the East, while the Rockets are just trying to make the playoffs. However, the NBA odds for this one are very even, with Houston coming in as a -1 home favorite on the NBA odds board, with a total of 212 ½.

However, despite the Rockets being horrible ATS lately, and despite them being one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA this season, they are still favored in this one. Houston has lost four of their last five games ATS coming into tonight, and at home this season Houston has been even worse, going 13-22 ATS.

Tonight even on the road, the Raptors could be a very good play. They recently got back Jonas Valanciunas, which means they have two big time centers to throw at Dwight Howard tonight. Even if James Harden has a big night, the Raptors could still win this game. Toronto is 18-15 ATS this season when playing on the road, and their defense has bee stellar recently, giving up only 93 points per game in their last five games.

On the other hand, Houston has been one of the worst non-conference teams in the league this season, going only 9-17 ATS against the Eastern Conference. I am taking the +1 tonight with the Raptors, and the moneyline with Toronto.

Suns vs. Kings
Both the Suns and Kings are battling for lottery position only tonight in their game against one another, which normally means defense should be optional. That’s great news for the NBA odds tonight, which have the Kings favored at -7, with a total of 219 ½ points. With DeMarcus Cousins probable to make his return tonight, and with Tyson Chandler, the Suns only credible defender out already, this could be a very high scoring game.

The Suns and Kings play at two of the fastest paces of any two teams this season, and tonight this should be a very up and down game. Since Brandon Knight has made his return for the Suns, their offense has been running much better, and with Jon Leuer in at power forward, it gives them another shooting threat on the outside. Both of these teams are giving up more than 112 points per game to divisional opponents this season, and while Phoenix’s defense has been better lately, the Kings will likely be able to score at will against them at home.

On the road this season, the Suns are giving up over 109 points per game, while the Kings score an average of more than 106 points per game at Sleep Train Arena. In their last meeting against one another this season in Sacramento, the Kings dropped 142 points on the Suns. While I doubt the Kings get to that high of a score tonight, 120 points is not out of the question with Cousins making his return. In their two games against one another this season, at least one team has scored at least 119 points, and I think we see that trend continue tonight. These two teams combine to cash the over at 18-9 this season in divisional games, so add the over to your NBA picks.